


Before You Leap

by dapperanachronism



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Banter, Fluff, Hunting, M/M, Minor Injuries, Monster of the Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24282430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dapperanachronism/pseuds/dapperanachronism
Summary: Fleeing won’t do you a damn bit of good if you aren’t watching where you’re going.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	Before You Leap

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shi_Toyu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/gifts).



> Art is by the amazing [Winter](https://feelingsinwinter.tumblr.com)! Thank you for working with me my lovely. 
> 
> Happy Birthday to my darling, dearest [Shi_Toyu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu)! Thank you for wading into this trash pile with me and always being willing to listen to my yelling <3
> 
> Thank you [Robin_tCJ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robin_tCJ/pseuds/Robin_tCJ) to whom I owe an endless supply of vodka for always being willing to step in and wrangle tenses at the last minute.

Geralt nudges the corpse of the last endrega with his toe and curses at it for good measure as he wipes his blade clean of its blood before inspecting his armour. One of the little fuckers had managed to lodge its spiky tail into the shoulder of his armour and rip it. He can patch it back together well enough himself, but he’s going to need to find an armourer before he takes on anything else major. 

“Shit,” he bites out, pulling off the damaged shoulder piece and the bracer. “Jaskier?” 

He turns back towards the direction that Jaskier had taken off, screaming, when the endraga had appeared. All this time he’d been traveling with the Witcher, all the truly horrifying monsters he’d seen, and yet it’s insectoids that still consistently send Jaskier running for the hills. He shakes his head fondly, but frowns a moment later when Jaskier is nowhere to be seen. 

“Jaskier?” he calls again, following the very obvious trail that Jaskier had left when he scampered away. The trail passes behind a row of trees with protruding roots only to drop off the edge of a small ridge, dropping down a few feet. At the bottom lay Jaskier, sprawled out, staring up at Geralt with wayward leaves stuck in his hair. “What the hell are you doing?” 

“Hiding from the horrible giant insects,” Jaksier says petulantly as he pushes himself up to sitting. 

“Hm. Well, they’re dead, so get back up here,” Geralt orders him. Jaskier seems to consider it briefly, shifting his weight before wincing and shaking his head. 

“I think I’m rather fine where I am, thank you. Just going to stay here a moment if it’s all the same. Rest. Catch my breath. Ponder… the meaning of life.” 

Geralt frowns and hops down over the ridge, landing effortlessly. “What happened?” he demands, crouching low next to Jaskier. 

“Nothing! I just like it here, that’s all,” Jaskier responds, staring at Geralt with wide eyes. 

“Like it there, sitting in the dirt, with leaves in your hair?” Geralt arches an eyebrow at him, dry disbelief dripping from his voice as he reaches over and plucks a leaf from Jaskier’s hair and holds it up to prove his point. 

Jaksier scoffs and bats the leaf out of Geralt’s hand before dusting the dirt off the front of his doublet. Geralt offers his hand, and Jaskier takes it wordlessly, allowing Geralt to pull him back up to his feet. He takes one step forward and his ankle immediately crumples beneath him, sending him stumbling forward. He’s saved from making another acquaintance with the forest floor by Geralt’s quick reaction, catching him before he could stumble far. 

“You’re hurt,” Geralt states, glaring down at the offending ankle. 

“Of course I’m not,” Jaskier brushes him off, but Geralt is already kicking over a log next to them and pushing Jaskier down to sit on it. Jaskier squawks in protest, but Geralt continues to ignore him, unlacing Jaskier’s boot and pulling it off. Sure enough, the joint was starting to swell, a light bruise forming. 

“What happened?” Geralt demands. 

“I was doing what you always tell me to do – getting away from the fight! I thought you’d be pleased I decided to listen for once.” 

Geralt sighs as he tears away the sleeve of his already damaged-beyond-repair shirt and sets about binding Jaskier’s ankle. “You do realise that I tell you to avoid the fight so you _don’t_ get hurt,” he growls, tying off the wrap that will hold Jaskier’s ankle in place. “This is the opposite of not getting hurt. You do realise that fleeing won’t do you a damn bit of good if you aren’t watching where you’re going.” 

“Well, I know that now,” Jasker pouts, glaring up at the small ridge and the roots that had been his downfall. 

Geralt shakes his head and slips the boot back on Jaskier’s foot, leaving it loose. “It’s not broken. Just sprained, thank the gods for small mercies. We’ll get it checked out back in town and get it bound properly. Let’s get back to Roach.” 

Jaskier pushes himself up on his feet again before Geralt immediately stops him, grabbing his shoulders. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” he demands. 

“I can walk back to the road,” Jaskier responds petulantly, taking another stubborn step to prove his stubborn point, only to wince as soon as he tries. 

“No, you fucking can’t,” Geralt hisses. 

“Well, then, what’s your plan, hm?” Jaskier turns to him, arms folded over his chest. “You going to carry me, great Witcher?” 

“If I have to,” he grumbles. 

Which is how how Geralt finds himself picking his way back through the thick trees, carrying Jaskier on his back as though he were a pack. Although he couldn’t see Jaskier’s face, he could _feel_ the bard grinning, and knew without a doubt that he was never going to hear the end of this. 

“Not one word into a song,” Geralt grumbles as they break through the last of the trees to the place they’d left Roach tied before venturing into the deeper woods. He pauses next to Roach and allows Jaskier to awkwardly clamber off him and into the saddle. 

“You know, you could just give Roach a break,” Jaskier says innocently. “I mean, you were doing such a good job without her.” 

“Not. A. Word.” he growls, taking Roach’s reins and leading her back towards the road. Jaskier is laughing beside him, clearly enjoying himself far too much. And maybe, just maybe, Geralt can’t help the tiny twitch of a smile that tugs at the corner of his mouth. 

  


**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://dapperanachronism.tumblr.com)!


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